Why does UK coach Mark Pope have players give the opening statement for press conferences?
The first words spoken at the postgame media conference following Mark Pope’s first NCAA Tournament win as a college head coach weren’t by Pope, though they should have been.
At the NCAA Tournament, coaches — win or lose — are prompted by a press conference moderator to deliver an opening statement. Questions then follow for the players who are also present at the press conference, before the players are released back to the team locker room and questions are then asked to the coach.
That’s the normal order of things. You may have noticed by now, but Pope doesn’t exactly do things the normal way.
This brings us to last Friday night, and the postgame media gathering that took place after No. 3 seed Kentucky dispatched No. 14 seed Troy for the first NCAA Tournament victory of Pope’s head coaching career.
“So we are scheduled to have an opening statement by Kentucky coach Mark Pope,” the press conference moderator began. “There might be a change in plans.”
Sure enough, it was Kentucky freshman guard Collin Chandler who then delivered a short opening statement recapping the Wildcats’ win over the Trojans. It was more of the same on Sunday night, with fifth-year center Amari Williams — a soft-spoken member of this UK team — delivering the opening statement after a second-round March Madness win over Illinois.
This isn’t new for the Cats this season. When circumstances and settings have allowed, Pope has prompted his players this season to deliver opening statements to begin press conferences.
Andrew Carr spoke first after UK’s November triumph over Duke in Atlanta. Jaxson Robinson had the honor of doing so after UK’s thrilling overtime win over Gonzaga in December in Seattle. When the Wildcats closed the regular season with a win at Missouri, it was Koby Brea’s turn to speak first.
Plenty of UK players have gotten their turn at the microphone after games this season. But, the background of this practice from Pope is still a mystery.
Robinson — the fifth-year guard who previously played two seasons for Pope at BYU — told the Herald-Leader on Thursday that Pope had his players at BYU go through the same postgame routine of delivering opening statements to begin press conferences.
“He’s always done that,” Robinson said with a knowing tone.
How did Robinson — who isn’t the most forthcoming talker — feel the first time he was given the responsibility?
“A little nerve-wracking, yeah, especially since it was my first time being around big media outlets,” Robinson recalled. “It was a little nerve-wracking, but you get used to it pretty quick.”
Unfortunately, Robinson — whose college career came to an end in February due to a right wrist injury — can’t recall the origin of this Pope-specific tradition, or any explanation Pope might have given concerning why.
While Robinson had past exposure to all of this, it was new territory for several of this season’s Wildcats.
“I can say we’ve gotten a lot of practice (at public speaking) since we have Coach Pope as a coach. He loves putting us in situations where we have to talk,” said Chandler, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who delayed the start of his college basketball career to complete a two-year mission overseas.
“Like, if we get together as a team with our families, he’ll make us stand up individually and introduce everybody. So, I think we’re getting a little bit more comfortable with public speaking.”
This was echoed by Williams, the most recent UK player to deliver a postgame opening statement.
“It’s definitely an honor. He always forces us to speak, regardless of what it is,” said Williams, who referenced the Senior Night speeches delivered by departing UK players to the Rupp Arena crowd on March 4. “... Just going in there and speaking from the heart, kind of speaking on the team and what we’ve been through and how together we are, I feel like it’s easy to speak about.”
So what’s the secret to delivering a good, impromptu opening statement following a Kentucky basketball win?
“There wasn’t really any warning of what to say or anything. So, it was just saying the first things that came to my head,” Chandler said.
“Being honest, I guess, about how you feel about the game. Not thinking too much about it,” Robinson added.
Friday
Kentucky vs. Tennessee
What: NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional round-of-16 game
When: 7:39 p.m.
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis
TV: TBS
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 24-11, Tennessee 29-7
Series: Kentucky leads 163-78
Last meetings: Kentucky won 78-73 on Jan. 28, 2025, in Knoxville and 75-64 on Feb. 11, 2025, in Lexington
This story was originally published March 28, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
